“Under the initiative, the farmers would not only get a loan of Rs.50,000 or more for their needs but will be given crop insurance as well,” said Banerjee at the state secretariat.

The scheme was started in 1998-99 by the central government along with the Reserve Bank of India and the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development.

Banerjee blamed the erstwhile Left Front government for not implementing the project properly.

“About 95 percent of farmers in the state do not have the KCC. They were never informed about the existence of such a scheme. If they went to banks, they were harassed. The panchayats, because of their political affiliations, did not function properly in this regard,” she said.

“From now on, the agriculture department would look after the scheme. The farmers will get all information along with application forms at the block development offices,” said Banerjee.